Mutant cats with extra toes have had the run of Ernest Hemingway's Home and Museum in Key West, FL, for over 40 years. Now the US Department of Agriculture sez the fifty freak cats need a special license and an exotic animal habitat if the museum wants to keep them around. The Hemingway Museum folks have been battling it out with the government, claiming the rare cats are simply a collection of domestic pets in the tradition of the extra-toed felines that the late author fancied. They are nothing like a Snow Leopard, or a room full of Komodo Dragons.

We didn't know about the strange cats until the controversy was reported in the news -- so maybe it's a good thing from a tourism perspective.... [08/22/2006]

February 10, 2012